TDS, TCS deductors can apply for GST registration from September 18

The date from which tax deducted at source (TDS) or tax collected at source (TCS) will be done will be notified later.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley at the 21st GST Council meet in Hyderabad on Saturday. (PTI)

Goods and Services Tax (GST) registrations for entities mandated to collect and deduct tax at source will start from September 18.

However, the date from which tax deducted at source (TDS) or tax collected at source (TCS) will be done will be notified later.

The GST Council, at its 21st meeting in Hyderabad, decided to open registration of persons liable to deduct TDS and TCS from September 18.

As per the Central GST (CGST) Act, the notified entities are required to collect TDS at 1 per cent on payments to suppliers of goods or services in excess of Rs 2.5 lakh.

Also, e-commerce companies are required to collect 1% TCS while making payment to suppliers under GST, which kicked in from July 1.

Following industry demands, the government in June had decided to defer the TDS and TCS provision for smooth rollout of GST.

GST subsumed a host of levies including excise and service tax and transformed India into a single market for seamless movement of goods and services.

Also, accommodating industry demands, the GST Council, chaired by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state counterparts, on Saturday decided to extend the deadline for filing TRAN-1 form by a month to October 31.

TRAN-1 is to be filed by those businesses that want to claim credit for taxes paid before the launch of GST. This form can now be revised once by businesses in the case of any discrepancy.

According to states, the transitional credit claimed by businesses is huge running up to Rs 60,000 crore. In the maiden returns for July, as much as Rs 95,000 crore taxes have been earned from about 45 lakh assessees.

With regard to people opting for the composition scheme, the GST Council has decided to give businesses time till September 30 to avail of it.

“Such registered person shall be permitted to avail of the benefit of the composition scheme with effect from October 1,” an official statement said.

Besides, the over 10 lakh registered businesses who have already opted for the composition scheme will be required to file their returns for the July-September quarter by October 18 and pay their taxes.

Under GST, as many as 72 lakh businesses have migrated from excise, service tax and VAT registration.

The composition scheme is an alternative to the levy of tax designed for small taxpayers whose turnover is up to Rs 75 lakh -- Rs 50 lakh in the case of eight north-eastern states and the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh.

The objective is to bring simplicity and reduce the compliance cost for small taxpayers.

The scheme is optional under which manufacturers other than those of ice cream, pan masala and tobacco products have to pay a 2 per cent tax on their annual turnover. The tax rate is 5 per cent for the rest.

Besides, input service distributors will have to file their returns for July by October 13.

For easier compliance, the GST council has already allowedbusinesses to file simplified GSTR-3B for four more monthstill December. It also relaxed the deadline for businesses to file sales return in GSTR-1 by a month to October 10.

Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said that for companieswith turnover of over Rs 100 crore, the last date for filing GSTR-1 will be October 3. For the rest, it will be October 10.

Also, filing of GSTR-2 or purchase return for July will have to be doneby October 31, and GSTR-3 by November 10.

Till September 8, over 45 lakh GSTR-3B, 17 lakh GSTR-1 and over 13 crore invoices have been filed on the GSTN portal.

Due to huge rush of July GSTR-3B return filing, the GSTN software had witnessed some glitches and the last date of filing had to be extended.

Last week, the date of final return filing for GSTR-1 was first extended to September 10 in view of rush in invoice uploading, instead of September 5 earlier.

GSTR-2 was required to be filed by September 25 instead of September 10 earlier. GSTR-3, which is the match of GSTR-1 and GSTR-2, was needed to be filed by September 30, in place of September 15.

These dates have been further extended by the GST Council at its meeting on September 9.

Also, a group of ministers has been constituted to monitor and resolve technological challenges faced during GST return filing.